Environment recognition device and environment recognition method

Abstract

There are provided an environment recognition device and an environment recognition method. An environment recognition device 130 provisionally determines a specific object corresponding to a target portion from a luminance of the target portion, groups target portions of which differences in the width direction, and the height direction are within a first predetermined range and which are provisionally determined to correspond to a same specific object into a target object, sequentially detects, from any target objects, target objects of which differences in the width direction, in the height direction, and in the relative distance are within a second predetermined range, and which are provisionally determined to correspond to a same specific object, thereby specifying a target object group, and determines whether or not the target object group is the specific object according to the number of the target objects in the target object group.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An environment recognition device comprising:
 a data retaining unit that retains a range of luminance associated with a specific object; 
 a luminance obtaining unit that obtains a luminance of a target portion in a detection area of a luminance image; 
 a specific object provisional determining unit that provisionally determines that the target portion corresponds to the specific object when the luminance of the target portion falls within the range of luminance associated with the specific object, retained in the data retaining unit; 
 a grouping unit that groups target portions into a first target object, each of the target portions to be grouped having positions differences in width and height directions within a first range, and being provisionally determined to correspond to the same specific object; 
 a position information obtaining unit that obtains a relative distance in a depth direction to the first target object from a vehicle having the environment recognition device; 
 a target object group specifying unit that sequentially detects at least one second target object, the second target object having position differences from the first target object in the width, height, and relative distance, which fall within a second range wider than the first range, and being provisionally determined to correspond to the same specific object as the first target object, thereby specifying the first target object and the second target object as a target object group; and 
 a specific object determining unit that determines that the target object group is not the specific object, but another specific object when the number of target objects including the first and second target objects included in the target object group exceeds a threshold value. 
 
     
     
       2. An environment recognition method to be performed by an environment recognition device having a data retaining unit that retains a range of luminance associated with a specific object, the method comprising:
 obtaining a luminance of a target portion in a detection area of a luminance image; 
 provisionally determining that the target portion corresponds to the specific object when the luminance of the target portion falls within the range of luminance associated with the specific object; 
 grouping target portions into a first target object, each of the target portions to be grouped having positions differences in width and height directions within a first range, and being provisionally determined to correspond to the same specific object; 
 obtaining a relative distance in a depth direction to the target region from a vehicle having the environment recognition device; 
 sequentially detecting at least one second target object, the second target object having position differences from the first target object in the width, height, and relative distance, which fall within a second range wider than the first range, and being provisionally determined to correspond to the same specific object as the first target object, thereby specifying the first target object and the second target object as a target object group; and 
 determining that the target object group is not the specific object, but another specific object when the number of target objects including the first and second target objects included in the target object group exceeds a threshold value.